Screen Time, Internet Use, and Lifestyle Habits Among Health and Engineering Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives: This cross-sectional study explored the associations between total screen time, internet addiction, and adherence to healthy lifestyle habits among university students. Material and Methods: The study was conducted with 818 volunteer students (250 males and 568 females; mean age 21.7±1.85 years) enrolled in the engineering and health sciences departments at a public university in Türkiye. Participants were recruited through face-to-face data collection using a convenience sampling approach. Data were collected using Young's Internet Addiction Test-Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Healthy Diet Indicator-2015. Ethical approval was granted by the Hacettepe University Ethics Committee. Results: Engineering students had significantly higher total screen time than health sciences students (7.2±3.4 vs 5.9±2.5 h/day; p<0.001). Across both faculties, most students (approximately 81-86%) were classified as "normal" internet users, while the problematic and pathological use was observed in 14-19%. Poor sleep quality was reported by about 51-53% of students in both groups, and more than 55% of the total sample slept less than 7 hours per night. Low adherence to healthy diet recommendations was common across faculties (approximately 85-88%), with no significant differences between groups. Total screen time was positively associated with internet addiction scores, poorer sleep quality, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (p<0.05). Conclusion: High screen exposure, inadequate sleep quality, physical inactivity, and poor diet quality were prevalent among university students. These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions, such as sleep hygiene education, screen time awareness programs, and lifestyle-focused health promotion strategies, to support healthier behaviors in this population.

Keywords

• university students
• Young's internet addiction test
• Pittsburg sleep quality index
• healthy diet indicator
• anthropometric measurements

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